Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do kitchen remodel permits take in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood?

In the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 32 kitchen remodel permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 0 days, down from 9 days a year earlier. Of the 9 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 77 days of being issued, down from 138 days the year before.

From the city’s permit records, by the quarter each permit was filed. Data as of 8 October 2026. How to cite this · How this is calculated

How long until a permit is issued, and until final sign-off?

How long kitchen remodel permits take in San Francisco's Southof Market neighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge01002003004005002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/south-of-market/kitchen · Data as of 8 October 2026By the quarter the permit was filed. A median counts only permits that finished the stage, so recent quarterslook faster than they will end up. Gaps: fewer than 5 permits.

This chart as an image (SVG), with its title, source and date, free to embed under CC BY 4.0.

At a glance

StagePermits filedPermits countedMedian daysCounted a year earlierMedian a year earlier
Filed to permit issuedOctober 2025 through September 202632 issued027 issued9
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 20249 finished7724 finished138

“Counted” is the permits the median was taken over: those filed in the window that have been issued, or that have reached final sign-off. The first stage covers the last four complete quarters, since most permits are issued within the year. The second covers the last four quarters that ended two or more years ago, so that most of their permits have had time to finish. Citywide, the median was 0 days to issue and 176 days from issue to final over the same quarters.

Every quarter since 2000

Quarter filedFiledIssuedMedian days to issueSlowest 10%Reached finalMedian days issue to finalSlowest 10%Never finaledSettled
2026-Q39922400too recent
2026-Q2111003040too recent
2026-Q18704020too recent
2025-Q4664417440too recent
2025-Q317162172112473300too recent
2025-Q24430too recent
2025-Q15400too recent
2024-Q43320too recent
2024-Q31190955851580yes
2024-Q24420yes
2024-Q11100yes
2023-Q43320yes
2023-Q31212646101603780yes
2023-Q22220yes
2023-Q1880496161442yes
2022-Q41082230761755682yes
2022-Q3121167993376062yes
2022-Q21414059141034650yes
2022-Q1212006016662934yes
2021-Q4141305710872344yes
2021-Q39907462203441yes
2021-Q21211017101025121yes
2021-Q19806181292250yes
2020-Q414127412292706211yes
2020-Q33330yes
2020-Q21110yes
2020-Q11010617581964692yes
2019-Q41412036691616424yes
2019-Q318180727134048824yes
2019-Q216140299974795yes
2019-Q14442237381369734yes
2018-Q4171608812724044yes
2018-Q3131301991602484yes
2018-Q23533089271395046yes
2018-Q11515718581542724yes
2017-Q4171704071512448yes
2017-Q31513171038752305yes
2017-Q215150112121946602yes
2017-Q115151424141344181yes
2016-Q41110943981643032yes
2016-Q38849162044882yes
2016-Q22422071121502668yes
2016-Q125210249161769544yes
2015-Q415150189791685yes
2015-Q31716034131747063yes
2015-Q2191914348131929586yes
2015-Q122223201181875014yes
2014-Q423213871114127710yes
2014-Q316161051152733830yes
2014-Q219190192101452488yes
2014-Q12119030151835334yes
2013-Q4131144981464154yes
2013-Q31919670161124303yes
2013-Q21414215101224323yes
2013-Q11817317102461,2685yes
2012-Q414142102101593333yes
2012-Q3880444yes
2012-Q2131303091264634yes
2012-Q19802371081531yes
2011-Q4111057581243532yes
2011-Q311100299541201yes
2011-Q2121205481352962yes
2011-Q1111102771478381yes
2010-Q475011741yes
2010-Q3111101629902691yes
2010-Q277115742yes
2010-Q198714761576601yes
2009-Q4764186942080yes
2009-Q310907944yes
2009-Q21111612781884343yes
2009-Q188033934yes
2008-Q4862642yes
2008-Q36622933yes
2008-Q214140123111222772yes
2008-Q11414072102427522yes
2007-Q4101001641yes
2007-Q312110251882393yes
2007-Q2121200102253671yes
2007-Q1880063564351yes
2006-Q411110091894810yes
2006-Q3131305282205162yes
2006-Q28801651533722yes
2006-Q1990022yes
2005-Q44421yes
2005-Q3101008051533712yes
2005-Q211100072562,0472yes
2005-Q188014052274041yes
2004-Q44431yes
2004-Q35502631yes
2004-Q24420yes
2004-Q166017030yes
2003-Q46608051543461yes
2003-Q31110yes
2003-Q22200yes
2003-Q14430yes
2002-Q43320yes
2002-Q33330yes
2002-Q27703531yes
2002-Q14420yes
2001-Q46604261042980yes
2001-Q3990051111960yes
2001-Q25502710yes
2001-Q14410yes
2000-Q42200yes
2000-Q33320yes
2000-Q24430yes
2000-Q1650030yes

A blank median means fewer than 5 permits behind it: issued permits for the first stage, and for the second, finished permits whose final is dated after their issue (a permit never issued has no span). “Slowest 10%” is the 90th percentile: one permit in ten took at least this long. Download the table as CSV or JSON; both carry the source, license and data date.

What the numbers leave out

206 of the 1,156 kitchen remodel permits filed since 2000 (18%) have no final sign-off 3 years after they were issued or, if never issued, filed. A median over finished permits understates the real wait: the permits that never finish are not in it. Inspection records are not yet included: “final sign-off” is the city’s own completion date on the permit.

Project types in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (1,159 filed, 750 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (1,156 filed, 762 finished; contractors); stairs (837 filed, 539 finished; contractors); deck (168 filed, 116 finished; contractors); roof deck (103 filed, 63 finished; contractors). Other types: 23,340 permits. All permits in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Tenderloin, Mission Bay, Financial District/South Beach; all of San Francisco; every neighborhood compared.

How this is calculated

Approved means the city issued the permit: the permit’s issue date. The first stage counts days from the filing date to the issue date, over permits issued on or after they were filed. Final sign-off means the city’s own status for the permit is “complete”, with its completion date; this site does not yet read inspection records, so the inspection date is not a separate stage. The second stage counts days from the issue date to the completion date, over permits that have reached it.

Permits are grouped by the quarter they were filed. A quarter’s median counts only its permits that have finished the stage, so recent quarters look faster than they will end up: their slow permits have not finished yet. Quarters that ended two or more years ago are marked settled; the rest are shaded in the chart. The headline’s first stage uses the last four complete quarters; its second uses the last four settled quarters.

The median is the middle permit: half took less, half more. The slowest 10% is the 90th percentile. A median needs at least 5 permits behind it, or it is left out. A project type is shown apart within a neighborhood only when it has 30 or more finished permits there; the rest are “other types”.

Never finaled means no final sign-off three years after the permit was issued (or filed, if never issued), and not expired, cancelled, withdrawn, revoked, disapproved, denied or suspended (the site’s “expired or cancelled” outcome). About a quarter of permits citywide end this way; often the work was done and nobody called for the final inspection. These permits are in the counts and not in the medians.

A permit’s neighborhood is the Analysis Neighborhood the city writes on the permit record (the official set of 41). Permits with none are counted citywide only; the page says how many. “Nearby” neighborhoods are the three nearest by the center of their permits. The site reloads the city’s data every night; permits filed since 1 January 2000 are included. The placement of a permit, its dates and its status are the city’s; the grouping and the words are this site’s. How to read these records.